A Change Of Heart
by DisneyStar4Ever
Summary: Sick of seeing Margaret with so many boyfriends, Mordecai has decided to give up on love completely. A few days go past, and Benson begins to notice the sudden change in the blue jays attitude. He confronts him about it, which lead to unexpected results. Mordeson. WARNING: EXTREMELY OOC
1. Prologue

**A few notes I want to get down before I begin writing the story**

**1) As you can probably tell from the summary, this story is inspired by 'Too Close' by Alex Clare. It's a great song in my opinion :) After listening to the song a couple of times, I managed to come up with my own meaning of the lyrics. A guy has been hurt so many times in the past by people he loves, that when he falls in love, he needs to push people away since he's so scared of getting hurt again.**

**2) Depending if my writers block is up again, this story will maybe be put on hiatus. But I'll be writing different RS show stories off fanfic :)**

**3) Next chapter is the story.**

**Happy Reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Mordecai walked down the path, a slight bounce in his step. Today was the day. The day he was going to ask Margaret out. Waiting patiently for her to be single had finally paid off. He had found a day where he had the day off from work and she had her break. He had even booked a table at restaurant for them. Everything had been planned out perfectly. Smiling to himself, he turned a left then, seeing the coffee shop ahead, quickened his pace. Hesitating outside the door, he checked his breath, tugged his jacket one more time, ran a shaking hand through his hair, then took a deep breath, before grasping the doorknob and opening the door. Seeing the coffee shop was near to empty, he looked around, immediately spotting Margaret carrying a tray of empty cups. He walked over to her, and stopped her halfway to the back.

"Hey Margaret"

Margaret became shocked at the sudden stop, but smiled, edging her way round the blue jay. "Hey Mordecai" She put the cups in the sink, then glanced up, noticing the smart dress code. Raising her eyebrow, she smiled coyly. "Who are you trying to impress?"

He cleared his throat, becoming suddenly nervous. "Uh...I-"

"Oh, wait. Let me guess." She straightened, putting her finger to her lips in thought. "You're taking a girl out on a date?"

Mordecai blinked. Did she know? "Actually, I-"

"Oh, wait. I have some great news." She took his arm and lead him to the other side of the coffee shop.

"You do?"

She smiled as they stopped next to a table, where a middle aged human man with dark brown hair, wearing a snappy suit sat, reading a thick book, a steaming coffee in front of him.

"Mordecai, this is Ian"

Hearing his name, the man looked up, and smiled when he saw Margaret.

"Ian, this is Mordecai"

Ian stood. "Nice to meet you Mordecai" He said, holding out a hand. Mordecai took it, feeling slightly confused at the sudden introduction.

Margaret moved closer to the man, resting her head on his chest. Mordecai watched, the scene still not clicking.

"He's my boyfriend"

Mordecai felt his heart almost break at the words. His mind spun, a sob rising in the back of his throat. "Oh" It came out heartbroken, a silent disappointment. Margaret hadn't noticed, much to the blue jays anger.

"Well, I better go Ian. Breaks almost over" She pecked him quickly on the lips then lead Mordecai to the stars. His blood boiled, his heart shattered.

They both stopped at the bottom step. Margaret smiled. "I hope that lucky girl has a great time tonight Mordecai" She winked. "It was nice seeing you"

Mordecai turned to go, but stopped. Slowly turning back around, he frowned. "Can I talk to you in the back room Margaret?"

Her smile vanished as her eyes flickered to the look in his eyes; angered and sad. She cautiously smiled again. "Sure Mordecai"

Not one of them said a word as Mordecai lead the way to the back room. Once there, Mordecai shut the door and turned on Margaret, fists clenched in pure anger.

"How dare you"

"What?" Margaret asked, taken aback.

He pointed a finger at her. "I planned everything perfectly and then you just had to..." He threw his hands up. "Ruin it!"

She frowned. "Mordecai, what are you talking about?'

He stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "I was going to ask you out" He said through gritted teeth.

"You were?"

He sighed irritably. "I liked you Margaret. A lot"

She dropped her gaze, the sudden news sinking in. "Y-you do?"

"I did" He corrected her, his voice rising. "Everything was planned out perfectly for tonight. But then it had to be ruined." He shook his head and chuckled. "So ironic" He muttered.

"I'm sorry", she tried, her voice a small squeak against his angered tone.

"Oh, no..." He looked up with a daring smile. "Don't be sorry. It's me who should be sorry"

She frowned. "Mordecai, what are you saying?"

"For years on end, I've loved you Margaret. Loved you with all my heart. But it didn't matter. It doesn't matter anymore. I've watched you, tagging any man who walks across the street, comes in here for a cup of coffee, then dump them for another man who you thought would make your life heaven. And all this time, you were oblivious to the one man standing right in front of you"

Margaret had fallen silent now, her frightened gaze locked on his eyes, daring her to make a move. Who was this man who was standing in front of her now? She shifted her eyes to the ground, wishing for the floor to collapse underneath. Finally, she lifted her gaze, and slowly, ever so slowly, opened her beak. "I love you"

With another shake of his head, and a low chuckle, he lowered his tone a dangerous volume. "You don't love me Margaret."

The sentence left the robin in regret. She refused to look at him now, scared for what the blue jay would do.

"You know what Margaret?"

She made no move to ask exactly what _'what' _was. Figures. He wasn't waiting for an answer anyway.

"I give up. Waiting for you. Chasing you. Being there when you needed me most. If you really loved me, you would've known"

He left it then and there. Resting his hand on the door, he walked out the room, out the shop, and down the street, fury burning in his stomach.

* * *

Margaret stood in shock. It only took a few seconds for Mordecai's atmospheric presence to fade, and she collapsed, in an empty, shamed mess.

* * *

He felt his heart shatter as he walked up the park steps. The fury had gone when he had entered the park gates, and now all that was left was pure sadness. Not bothering to even explain to Rigby what happened, Mordecai looked straight ahead and walked upstairs, his steps hollow. Halfway up, he bumped into his boss, who was staring intently at his clipboard. Tearing his gaze from the clipboard, his expression softened when he saw Mordecai.

"Hey Mordecai. How'd it go-" Benson stopped. Mordecais eyes were bloodshot, remains of a silent cry. His peppy smile had vanished, a dark frown scratching his lips. His suit was in immaculate condition, though, studying the blue jays face, he knew there was something wrong. "You ok?" Real concern laced his voice. Both knew Rigby was in the lounge, playing dig champs, but they ignored him, the only two in the house. For now.

The blue jay paused, considering whether to confess everything to his boss, or trudge upstairs and weep silently in a corner. His eyes caught Bensons for a split second before he continued upstairs. When Benson heard the door slam, he watched the door for a second, then walked downstairs, a nagging thought in the gumball machines head.

What happened?

* * *

_**So yeah...another story. Mordeson this time.**_

_**Like I said in the previous chapter, this story may be put on hiatus for a couple of days, at any time :)**_

_**Read and Review!**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As soon as he opened his eyes, the memories came rushing back. But only one person stuck out. Margaret. He shifted to his side. Regret didn't exactly fit the description of what he had said. No. It was more like...pride. Up until now, he had wanted to say those words to the robin. And he had. He felt a small glow in his body, though he knew in his right mind, it was covered by heartbreak.

* * *

"Ok everyone. We have a lot to do today. I only got the news today that the park is having its 123rd anniversary in three days." Groans and irritated sighs echoed from around the employees, leaving Benson with a deep frown. "Hey, it wasn't my decision. I only got the news today, so don't blame me if you don't have everything prepared." His gaze aimed at Rigby for a second, then rested on his clipboard. "Pops and Skips, you guys are cleaning the gutters. Muscle Man and High Fives, you two wash the truck, and Mordecai and Rigby..." He paused, his eyes slowly drifting to the pair. Benson glanced at Mordecai. The blue jay wore a lazy smile, his eyes relaxed. But Benson saw right through him. Without a moments hesitation, the gumball machine corrected himself. "Rigby, you'll clean the fountain and go pick up the cart from the garage thanks to the little 'accident' you pulled the other day"

Everyones gaze diverted to the surprised blue jay. All the workers were shocked. Why was Mordecai getting the day off? Rigby and Mordecai exchanged confused glances before Rigby looked back at his boss.

He frowned. "Why does Mordecai get the day off?" He whined.

"None of your business Rigby. Now get to cleaning the fountain. And all of you, get to your jobs"

When no one moved, Benson stepped forward. "NOW!"

Everyone jumped at their boss's outburst, and practically ran to their jobs, fearing Benson would do worse than yelling.

When the grounds were deserted, an awkward silence shrouded the two. Mordecai drummed his fingers on his leg, looking at a cloud in the sky. Benson sighed as he walked over to the blue jay. Smiling gently, he moved up a few stairs, till he sat down next to Mordecai. They sat in silence, Mordecai watching the clouds, Benson thinking. He knew something was wrong with the blue jay, and to figure out, he needed to approach this carefully. Seeing the quick glint in his eye, he knew there was something. Something hidden.

"So, why exactly did you let me off for the day?"

Benson bit his lip at the blue jays words. Should he tell him? Letting out a sigh, he looked at Mordecai. "I know something's wrong Mordecai" He said carefully.

A cloud covered the sun, bathing the two in a dark glow.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Mordecai frowned. "I'm not a little kid Benson"

Benson glanced at the blue jay. "I know Mordecai-"

"I don't need you to help me. I'm perfectly fine. Just cause you see something's wrong with me, doesn't mean you have to be the fatherly type and try to but into my problems." He stood and walked down the steps. Benson watched him till he was out of sight, then sighed. He should of worded that out better.

* * *

Spotting Rigby across the grass, he walked over and picked up a rake on the ground. He silently turned and began raking the leaves.

Rigby smiled and stopped raking. "Hey Mordecai. What'd Benson want?"

Mordecai tried to block the raccoons words from his mind.

"Did you get in trouble?"

Rigby watched his friend for a few seconds before frowning.

"Dude, what's up? Did you get fired?"

Mordecai dropped the rake, turning to the raccoon. "Stop asking me. I'm fine ok?"

Rigby stood still as Mordecai picked the rake up and continued the job. He watched the blue jay, then snorted.

"Fine. Don't tell your best friend what's wrong. You know, the one who listens to you, understands you, makes sure your alright. Yeah, it's ok, you know? I really don't care what's bugging you so I know who's ass to kick. It's perfectly fine dude"

Mordecai threw the rake at a tree. The rake broke in half, pieces of wood on the ground.

Rigbys jaw dropped. "What the H dude?!" He yelled. "Bensons so gonna blame me for that!"

When Mordecai turned to the raccoon, fire blazed in his eyes. "Shut up Rigby. Just shut it!"

Rigby stared at Mordecai for a moment, then went back to raking. Mordecai closed his eyes and slumped against a tree. Every so often, Rigby would glance in the blue jays direction, curious and worried. What the heck is wrong with him?

When the leaves were done, Rigby got into the cart and drove to the garage, Mordecai slumped against the back seat with his eyes closed. Rigby hooked the fixed cart up to the other one and drove back to the park. Mordecai quietly followed the raccoon back to the park. By that time, the sun was setting. Benson was sitting on the step, looking at the streaks of red, purple, orange and yellow across the sky. His eyes went cold when he saw Rigby.

"How long does it take you to bring a cart back to a park?"

He shrugged. "About 3 hours"

Benson sighed irritably. "Just go play video games" He waved a hand to the house.

Rigby bounded up the steps happily. "Mordecai, you coming?"

"Yeah, I guess"

As Mordecai walked past Benson, Benson felt a slight chill go down his spine. Something was seriously wrong, but he didn't persist as he heard the door shut behind him.

**_Sorry the ends a bit rushed. Honstly, I did have the idea in my mind, but it just came out...weirdly. Bleh :(_**

**_Next chapter up tomorrow!_**

**_Read and Review_**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Benson stood in the middle of the lounge, ticking off things they needed to get and stuff they already had at the house, for the party.

"Let's see...streamers, tick, balloons..." He looked up to see Skips skipping into the kitchen. "Hey Skips have we got balloons?"

The yeti nodded. "I think we have some from the other party" He skipped off.

Benson looked back at his clipboard. "Ok, balloons, tick...drinks and food...Muscle Man and HFG can do that tomorrow...Skips will get some tables..music?" He tapped the pencil on the paper. He shrugged. "We'll just get an old CD from somewhere...I'll organize the guests and...Mordecai and Rigby...they can get the cake." Benson sighed as he came to the bottom of the paper. Flipping it over, he saw the job list for today.

He looked up. "Ok, can everyone please stop what they're doing?"

Everyone turned their heads to their boss, Skips skipping back from the kitchen.

"I've got the list done of things we need for the party. Feel free to read it later in the day. But right now, we have chores to do"

Rigby groaned. "Do we have to?" He asked in that irritating whiny tone.

Mordecai nudged him in the arm. "Dude, do you want to keep your job?"

"Yeah" Rigby glared up at the blue jay. "Geez dude, what's wrong with you?"

Mordecai ignored him and looked right at Benson. Benson stared in shock at the blue jay.

"Right..." He shook his head. "Thanks for that. Um..." He cleared his throat, feeling slightly sick. "Skips, you get the day off today, I remember"

Skips nodded and skipped out the door, shutting it behind him with a loud bang.

"Muscle Man and HFG, you two run the snack bar today...and Mordecai and Rigby, your job is too pick toilet paper off every tree in the park. Some local kids decided it would be hilarious to TP the trees as a prank." He paused to throw Rigby a few rolls of brightly colored ribbons. "When you've gotten all the paper off, I want you to decorate the trees with ribbons. Ladder's in the shed" Benson turned to the lollipop man. "Pops..." He tucked the clipboard under his arm. "Your father called. He said your aunt and uncle are going to be there for a couple of days and he wants you to be there by..." He checked his watch. "3:30"

Pops smiled. "Oh, yay! Aunt Josie and Uncle Robbie will be at Papas house! What joy!" He giggled at the thought and clapped his hands, but stopped when a sudden thought occurred to him. "But does that not mean I will miss out on the celebration?" He asked sadly, his smile slowly disappearing.

Benson shook his head. "Defintiely not Pops. For this to be an official park anniversary, all the park employees, previous and present, will be here. I talked to Mr Maellard and he said he will drop you off back here on the day of the party"

Pops smile returned. "Hooray!" He giggled once again before heading upstairs to sort out his things.

Benson watched him go then looked back at the four in the room. "Well, come on. The jobs aren't going to do themselves"

Muscle Man and HFG nodded at Benson then walked out the door. Rigby stood still, looking at Mordecai. "Dude, what the 'h' has gotten into you the past two days?"

Mordecai's eyes flickered to Bensons, before resting on Rigby. "Nothing Rigby. I'm fine" He looked up at his boss. "Don't worry Benson. We'll get the work done" Benson stared after the blue jay and raccoon as they walked out the door.

Shaking his head, he started to the stairs, and walked up to his office.

* * *

He picked up a pile of papers and shuffled them, though they had already been sorted plenty of times. Benson slammed them down on the desk and rested his head on the desk. He shifted his head to the side, so he was looking out the window, and closed his eyes.

"Hey! Quit throwing toilet paper on me!"

"Well maybe if you got out the way, then it wouldn't land on you, would it?

"Why are you being such a jerk?"

Benson opened his eyes and raised his head. He stood up and walked to the window, to see Mordecai on the ladder, picking toilet paper off the leaves, and Rigby surrounded by the paper, glaring up at the blue jay. The rolls of ribbons were in a group next to a tree. Benson watched the scene.

Mordecai ignored the raccoon and continued the job.

"Dude, what the heck is wrong with you? Did something happen at the coffee shop?"

He saw Mordecai's body go stiff then relax. A deep frown, almost a scowl, came upon his lips as he looked back down at Rigby. With the toilet paper bundled in his wing, he threw it down, the clump landing on Rigby's head.

Benson frowned. "Something did happen" He slowly turned and walked back to the chair. Sitting down, he began to think. Did Margaret die? He shook his head. If she did, it would of been in the news, and Mordecai would be in a depressed state for weeks. She was pregnant with his child? Bensons eyes widened at the horrific thought. Since when did that happen? He hit his head with his hand, then looked up. Why did he care? It was clearly none of his business, and like Mordecai had said, he didn't need to butt into other people's private things.

A scream interrupted his thoughts. Benson immediately stood and raced to the window. What he saw made his body freeze. Mordecai was laying on the ground, clearly unconscious, with a pale, shaken Rigby by his side. The ladder had been knocked down and was lying...right next to the blue jay. Benson tore his gaze from the window and raced downstairs.

* * *

Benson sprinted to the two and knelt down next to Mordecai. His heart thudded in his chest as he looked down at the blue jays face. His eyes were closed.

"What happened?" He asked harshly, looking up at Rigby.

Rigby's face drained, his mouth opening and closing. "Mordecai threw toilet paper at me and I shook the ladder in anger. The ladder fell on top of Mordecai but I moved it off him."

Bensons eyes widened, his jaw set hard. "Mordecai was crushed by the ladder?" He glanced at the ladder then down at Mordecai. His eyes slowly opened, Bensons heart slowing to its normal speed.

Mordecai blinked a few times then shook his head. "Arg...what happened?"

"You fell of the ladder, thanks to Rigby" Benson answered.

Mordecai turned his head to look at his boss. Their gazes locked for a few seconds, till Mordecai frowned. He turned his head to look at Rigby. "You're such an idiot Rigby"

Rigby responded with a glare as the blue jay stood and positioned the ladder back against the tree.

Benson stood and dusted himself off. "Yes, well...I have a lot of paper work to do, so I'll be in my office if you need me" He turned to go but stopped. Looking at Rigby, he frowned. "One more act like that, and you're getting a write up, got it?"

Rigby narrowed his eyes at his boss. Benson glanced at Mordecai...only to see the blue jay was already looking at him, with an expression the gumball machine couldn't read. Benson suddenly felt sick, and shifted his gaze to Rigby once more, before turning and heading back to the house.

* * *

The white limousine pulled up outside the house, but Benson didn't move from the couch. It was only when he heard Pops excited giggle, that he finally turned his head and stood, slowly following the lollipop man out the door. He watched Pops embrace his father before continuing down the stairs, forcing a smile to his horrid boss.

"Afternoon Sir. Excited for the party?"

Maellard frowned. "Don't fraternize with me Beanbag. I'm only here to pick up my son"

Benson nodded. "Right, of course."

Maellard turned to Pops. "Got everything son?"

Pops nodded, producing a bag from behind his back. Maellard looked down at it with a smile then tapped his cane against the ground. "Well, we must be off then. Auntie Josie will be waiting for you Pops"

Pops giggled then got into the limo. Maellard turned his head to Benson, frowning. "Make sure my parks clean after the party Bean-Tean"

"Yes Sir" Benson nodded. When the limo drove off, Benson let a relaxed glare appear on his lips.

How he hated that man.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Thanks so much PerryRocks- Wolf Warrior for the idea! :D**

It was 10:30 in the morning and the gang(except for Benson, who was standing at the bottom step) was crowded around the list of party jobs(which was taped to Mordecai and Rigby's door). Muscle Man grinned "Yeah! We get food and drinks! Him and Fives slapped hands, then turned to the stairs. "See ya later Grandmas!" Muscle Man ran down the stairs(HFG was floating ) and out the door. Benson rolled his eyes and looked back up the stairs at everyone. Soon, Skips moved away. Still with his usual expression, he skipped down the stairs and out the door. Lastly, was Mordecai and Rigby. Benson watched them from the bottom step, curious at what their reactions would be to such an 'important' job.

Rigby smiled. "Aw yeah! We get to get the cake! Up high!" He raised his hand, waiting for Mordecai to high five him.

Mordecai frowned, looking at his friend. "You better not mess this up"

"Sure" Rigby slowly lowered his hand, his smile disappearing. "Quit acting like my mum dude. It's weirding me out"

"Well I'm sorry for looking out for you"

Rigby frowned. "Stop acting weird man. There's something wrong with you." He narrowed his eyes. "And I know it's about the coffee shop"

Mordecai rubbed his head. "So what if it is? It's still none of your business"

"Come on man. You can tell me. I'm your bro"

Mordecai closed his eyes and winced, clutching his head. "No Rigby. I can't tell you"

Rigby started for the stairs. "Look, you can either suffer inside, or tell me so we can sort this out"

Mordecai shook his head. "I'd rather live with it then blab it to you"

Rigby's eyes widened and he grabbed the stair rail. He felt tears come to his eyes, but he sharply wiped them away and walked down the stairs. "Whatever. You're a jerk anyway. I'll get the cake myself"

Mordecai sighed and followed Rigby. "Dude, wait"

"No. If you don't trust me, then why should I accept your attempted respect?"

Mordecai shrugged, though the raccoon couldn't see. "Maybe you shouldn't."

Rigby got to the door and pulled it open. Mordecai began to follow him outside, till he felt a hand on his arm.

"Wait'

Mordecai turned to see Benson looking at him. "What?"

Benson looked over Mordecai's shoulder to see Rigby looking at the two curiously. "Mordecai will follow you out in a few minutes. He just has a few things to take care of"

Rigby glanced from his best friend to his boss, his suspicions growing. Thinking it was something to do with Mordecai's strange behavior in the past few days, he shrugged the suspicions off. "Ok. I'll meet you at the cake shop man" He let Mordecai step back into the house, before closing the door and walking down the stairs.

Benson hurriedly opened the door slightly. "And don't you even think about eating the cake. Cause if you do..."

Rigby waved a hand behind his back. "Yeah, yeah, you'll fire me. Blah blah blah"

Benson felt the anger building inside him, but remembering Mordecai was also in the house, he calmed a little, and let the raccoon go to the cake hop without a warning.

Slowly shutting the door, he turned to see Mordecai sitting on the bottom step clutching his head, his eyes closed, gritting his teeth in pain.

Bensons eyes softened as he moved off to the kitchen. Grabbing an ice pack from the freezer, he went back to the stairs and sat down silently next to Mordecai.

"Here"

Mordecai looked up to see the dark blue ice pack in front of him. His gaze flickered to Benson then he slowly took the ice pack from his boss's hand. For a split second, their hands brushed when the pack was handed over. Benson blushed and looked down at the ground, refusing to look at Mordecai in case he saw the tinge of red on his cheeks.

"Why do you keep doing this?"

Benson, finally feeling the heat go from his cheeks, looked up with his brow raised."Doing what?"

Mordecai gestured to the ice pack he was holding against his head. "Being nice to me and letting me have random days off"

Benson shrugged. Mordecai winced in pain and dropped the ice pack, it landing on the step. Benson picked it up and put it on the blue jays head. Mordecai smiled and lifted a hand to hold the pack to his head, his wing resting on Bensons hand. Again, Benson blushed furiously and had to look away. He slowly looked back up again...to see Mordecai already looking back at him, with that same expression again. He couldn't read it. He took his hand away, but kept his eyes on Mordecai. Mordecai closed his eyes and lay back on the step. "You don't need to you know"

Benson turned his head. "I don't need to what?"

"You don't need to do all of this. Care for me. Protect me. Act like a parent"

Benson moved up a step. "Why not?"

Mordecai slowly sat up. "Because..." He shrugged. "It's not right. I mean it is...but you're...caring for me."

Benson smiled. "Well, I'm you're boss and I'm supposed to care about you"

"Yeah, I know but...you're acting like you really care about me"

"Does it bother you?"

Mordecai didn't respond, keeping the ice pack on his head. Benson looked at him. Finally, Mordecai sighed. "No. It doesn't bother me"

Benson looked away. He fell silent, his mind filled with thoughts. One, he plucked from the bottom of his mind. "Why don't you tell Rigby what's going on?"

Mordecai frowned. "Because I just feel like I can't talk to him about this. It's too serious and if he heard it, he would probably shrug it off and act like its's a one time thing." He paused. "But it's not.

Benson felt the need to ask exactly what the problem was, but he stopped himself. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"What?"

"If you're not telling your best friend all of this, then why are you saying it to your boss?"

He opened his eyes to see Mordecai's gaze on the step. Slowly, Mordecai looked up, capturing Bensons eyes. "I guess I trust you more" He said carefully.

Benson suddenly felt dizzy, and sick. He put his hand on the step to steady himself. Taking deep breaths, he felt a gentle wing on his hand. Looking at his hand, he saw Mordecai's wing, his fingers lacing Bensons. Benson smiled, a sad small smile.

A loud noise interrupted the moment. Benson snatched his hand away, immediately regretting it. He looked at Mordecai, but the blue jays eyes were on the door. Benson turned his head to see, through the window, Muscle Man running up the steps, HFG behind him.

They burst through the door, just as Benson stood. Muscle Mans arms were full of food: every flavor of chip imaginable, cupcakes, sandwiches cut into triangles, and pounds of meat. HFG floated next to him, his arms holding 3 large boxes of soda. They were grinning, Muscle Mans head beaded with sweat.

Benson smiled. "Great work guys. Go put the food and drinks in the fridge so they don't go to waste"

Muscle Man nodded at his boss, but diverted his gaze to Mordecai. Benson turned his head, to see a deep frown on the blue jays lips. "What's up with you bro? You've been acting weird for the past few days"

Benson looked back at Muscle Man. Before Mordecai could say anything, Benson stepped off the step. "Just go put the food in the fridge. After you've done that, I need you two to rake the leaves."

Muscle Man narrowed his eyes at Mordecai, but followed his boss's orders anyways. HFG didn't say a word, and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, the two came out and ran out the door.

"Hey watch where you're going Muscle Man. Got a cake here"

"Whatever bro" They heard Muscle Mans footsteps pound on the front steps then get quieter as he got further away from the house. Rigby walked in, carrying a large chocolate cake with thick icing on top and around. "Where should I put this?"

"In the fridge." Benson answered.

Rigby caught Mordecai's eyes for a second, then he turned and walked into the kitchen. When he came back, he was wringing his hands. "Man that cake case was heavy. $30 bucks. It better be worth it." He muttered.

Benson sighed. "Ok, now for your next job..." His voice trailed off when he saw Rigby staring at Mordecai with a glare. Benson didn't continue.

"Dude, where the heck were you? I needed you at the cake shop!"

Benson opened his mouth to yell at the raccoon, but Mordecai beat him to it. "Why do you care? I'm a jerk remember?"

Rigby threw up his hands. "Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

Mordecai sent a silent glare to Rigby, then stood, turned, and walked upstairs to his room.

Rigby watched Mordecai leave, and when the door shut, he looked at Benson. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

Benson shrugged and threw the ice pack to him. Rigby caught it, confused. "Can you put this back in the freezer please, and when you're done, I want you to spray the weeds in the garden.

Rigby raised an eyebrow but walked into the kitchen. When the raccoon had gone outside, Benson slumped on the step and sighed. Feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes, he rested his head in his hands. He heard the door open, but didn't look up. Hearing the skipped steps go into the kitchen, he recognized it to be Skips. _He must of gotten the tables. _Benson closed his eyes. He heard Skips come back into the stairway and waited, expecting the yeti to ask why his boss was slumped on the stairs. But nothing was said. Benson slowly rose his head to see the door close.

His heart felt heavy, his limbs weak. Why hadn't Skips said anything?


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Benson groaned and sat up. The bright sunlight hit his eyes, forcing him to raise a hand to block it. He sighed and got out bed. Dragging himself around the house, he did his usual routine: make coffee, have a shower, the usual. Grabbing his keys, he ran out the door and down the steps. He got into his truck and drove to the park.

* * *

Mordecais eyes widened as he looked out the window. Seeing his boss's truck approaching the house, he turned to the gang, frozen, looking at the blue jay. "Come on guys, quick! Bensons coming!"

Everyone rushed around the room, Muscle Man and HFG grabbing food from the fridge and organizing it neatly on the tables Skips has moved to the lounge. The couch, tv, game system and table had been moved into the attic to make room for the party stuff. Skips hung the rest of the ribbons up around the house, lacing it around the edge of the walls. Rigby grabbed the cake and, after staring at it for a good 5 seconds, drool running down his cheek, he was snapped out of it by Mordecai, who clicked his fingers in front of the raccoons face. Rigby glared and set the cake on the table.

Mordecai turned and began checking everything; the food/drinks, the tablecloths, ribbons, cake, everything was neat. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned just in time to see Benson enter the house. Everyone smiled at their boss as Benson stood in pure shock, slowly glancing from room to room, at everything the guys had set up. He had to admit, as he walked through the kitchen, it was good. For this to be the parks 123rd anniversary, it had to be amazing(enough to impress Maellard anyway). He walked back through to the lounge, to see all the guys looking at him with hopeful grins.

"So? Do you like it?" Mordecai asked after a few seconds of silence.

Benson smiled and nodded. "This is amazing guys. I can't believe you set this up, without me telling you to as well!"

The workers all high fived. Benson checked his watch. "It's only 9:00am. And I've already phoned the park workers, so..." He sighed. "All we need to do now is get ready"

Benson looked up, immediately catching Mordecai's eye. He quickly glanced from worker to worker, before anyone could see. "But first we have to get the chores done, so the park doesn't look like a complete mess when the guests and Maellard arrives."

Everyone nodded. Benson grabbed his clipboard from the shelf and looked at it. "Ok, we all get three jobs each. Skips, Muscle Man and Fives, you guys will be cleaning out the garage, washing the house and spraying the weeds. Mordecai and Rigby, you two pick up litter round the park, rake the leaves and wash all the carts." He sucked in a breath. "And I guess I'll wash the dishes, clean around the house, then file some paperwork." He smiled. "Ok guys. Let's get to work. We've got 6 and a half hours till Pops comes back and another 3 hours till the party. I'll check on you in a couple of hours to see how you're doing." He nodded to the group, who turned and walked to the door. Benson watched them till the door shut, then let out a long breath before walking to the kitchen.

* * *

Benson put the last piece of paperwork on the tall pile. "Done" He breathed out, dropping the pen on the desk. "It better be worth it to see the look on the stingy gits face when he sees all these files" Sighing, he stood and walked to the door. "Now to check on the guys"

* * *

Mordecai stabbed another empty soda can and placed it in the brown bag on his shoulder. "Man, this sucks"

"Wah?" Rigby snorted and opened his eyes. Blinking a few times, he smiled lazily. "Nah dude this jobs awesome." He yawned then pushed himself off the tree trunk.

"That's cause you've been sleeping half the time! Dude, get up. We have two more jobs to do after this and thanks to you, we've spent..." He glanced down at his watch, and his eyes widened. "Two hours?!"

Rigby sat up and paused, looking at Mordecai. "I was asleep for two hours?" He asked curiously, not exactly shocked they had spent their whole time on one job.

Mordecai rolled his eyes and frowned. "Thanks for the help man." He stabbed a piece of tissue wad and shoved it in his bag.

Rigby watched Mordecai and smiled. "Hey thanks for doing this man"

Mordecai stopped. "Thanks for what?"

"For doing my job while I take a break"

Mordecai looked back down and continued his job, but looked up when he heard a small shriek from the raccoon. "Dude, Bensons coming here!"

Mordecai shrugged and continued the job. "So?"

"So?" Rigby looked back at the blue jay in disbelief. "What do you mean 'so'?

"It's not really a big deal Rigby"

Rigby frowned. "Not a big-? What do you mean it's not a big deal? He's so gonna fire us!"

Again, Mordecai stopped. "Dude, he's gonna fire you. Not me" He stabbed another piece of trash, ignoring the glare from his friend and listening to the sound of him rushing around, grabbing his clean stick and empty bag. Mordecai shook his head with a smile. "I don't know why you even bother"

Mordecai looked up when he didn't get a reply. Rigby was dashing madly across the grass, picking up every piece of trash in sigh. Unfortunately, there were hardly any pieces, thanks to Mordecai who had done his job as well as his own. Benson walked up to them, just as Rigby stopped next to Mordecai.

Benson glanced from one to the other and smiled at Mordecai. Noticing his bag full to the brim with garbage, he nodded. "Great work Mordecai" Mordecai smiled then glanced at the shaking raccoon next to him. Bensons jaw set hard when he moved his gaze to Rigby. "Why is there hardly any trash in your bag?"

His gumballs began to glow a slight pick. Rigby smiled nervously. "Cause I took a break"

Benson went red. "YOU SPENT TWO WHOLE HOURS TAKING A BREAK WHILE MORDECAI DID YOUR JOB FOR YOU? " He yelled to Rigby.

Rigby held the smile and shrugged. "Maybe"

Benson scowled at him. "You are so lucky I've already filled out the employee comment papers before I checked on you or you would of been fired right then and there" He said through gritted teeth. The bright red slowly disappeared from his face as he calmed down. He looked around the two then, seeing the grounds around them was clear of trash, he looked back at the two. "Ok. Now go you go rake the leaves. Rakes are in the shed." He glanced from the blue jay to the raccoon then walked off.

When he was out of earshot, Rigby threw down the bag and stick. "Man, I hate working here"

"Well, why don't you quit?" Mordecai leaned down to pick up Rigbys things.

Rigby folded his arms. "You know why"

Mordecai straightened. "No. Why?" He walked to the shed, Rigby walking in step beside him.

"Because I'm too lazy to go through another interview and fill out an application form and..." He waved it off. "Too much work"

They had stopped at the shed. Rigby opened the door and waited outside as Mordecai went in to get the things. Mordecai hung the bags up, leaned the sticks against the wall, then grabbed the rakes and went back outside. He smiled as he waited for Rigby to shut the door. Watching the raccoon attempt to slam the door shut, with it opening again, he chuckled at Rigbys temper.

"Here let me do it" Handing his rake over to the raccoon, he smirked and closed the door. It made a small click as it shut. He turned back around, the smirk growing when he saw Rigby frowning. He grabbed his rake back and walked in front.

"Shut up Mordecai" Rigby muttered to the blue jay. Mordecai shook his head.

* * *

Benson and the gang all stood in the lounge, dressed smartly for the party. All had dressed in suits, much to everyone's annoyance, especially Rigby's.

_Rigby made a face when he saw the small black and white tuxedo layed out on his trampoline. "This is what we have to wear?"_

_Mordecai held his suit up. "Come on man. It's not that bad"_

_"I can't believe you." Rigby faced the blue jay with a frown. "You really don't think this is bad?"_

_"Hey" He lowered the suit and began unclipping the pants from its hanger. "At least Benson actually bought these for us. For all 6 of us. Be thankful for once dude."_

_Rigby rolled his eyes. "Whatever" He slowly took the jacket and shirt off, exaggerating his hatred for the clothing option. "Dude, this is horrible" He tugged on the shirt, jacket and pants, complaining 'it doesn't fit' and 'I look terrible in a suit'. _

_Mordecai straightened his tie, looking in the mirror. "Don't be such a cry baby. It's only for one night. Then we can give these back"_

_Rigby sighed. "I guess. I mean, at least we don't have to wear these forever"_

_Mordecai smiled at his reflection and ran a hand through his hair. He felt confident and ready, as if he could do anything. His reflection flashed a pearly white smile back, then he turned and tugged his jacket. "Exactly" He took a deep breath then, grasping the doorknob, opened the door and walked out. Rigby groaned and soon followed, fixing his hair as he trailed after the blue jay._

Benson sighed when he heard a few cars pull up. He turned to the gang(and Mr Maellard) with a smile. "Well, the guests have arrived. Muscle Man, go take their coats."

Muscle Man walked over to the door and stood, waiting for the first guest to walk through the door.

"Rigby, go put on some music."

Rigby groaned and went to the stereo. He pushed a button, emitting a loud strum of a guitar to echo through the speakers. Soon, lyrics began after a few strums.

"Gah. I hate this song. Isnt this from the 80s?"

Everyone stood and watched as the guests filed in, one by one, or in groups. As more people came in the house, the atmosphere became less awkward and weird as people looked around, remembering their times at the park. Human and Animal. Mordecai and Rigby stood side by side, watching as familiar faces flashed past them. Doug, Leon, Jeremy, Chad... Rigby frowned when he saw the small possum talking to his friend. Since the day Benson had tried to replace them, Mordecai and Rigby had hated Jeremy and Chad from then. They had forgotten about the two though, and had continued on with their work. But now they had come back to the park, thanks to Benson.

Mordecai put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Chill dude. It's only for tonight"

Rigby relaxed at his friends touch and sighed. "Yeah, I guess." His eyes narrowed for a second. "I just hate those two"

"Me too man." Mordecai smiled. "Hey, how about some punch?" He offered Rigby a plastic cup of strawberry punch, which Rigby downed instantly. The raccoon grinned and crushed the cup against the table.

His eyes were wide with excitement. "Thanks man. I'm just gonna go talk to that hot chick over there"

Mordecai followed his gaze to see a young girl in her 20s chatting to a blond haired girl, both holding sandwiches. Mordecai chuckled. "Good luck dude"

Rigby walked over to say hello. Mordecai shook his head and leaned against the table. He put his cup on the table and looked at everyone, at the decorations him and his friends had put up. His eyes widened and he smiled as he began to recognize familiar faces from the park. A sudden shyness took over him and he felt subconcious when he visioned himself going up to someone. How would he talk to them? What would he say? Shaking his head, he decided against the thought and just relaxed.

Glancing from person to person, his eyes landed on Benson, who was talking to a purple gumball machine the same height as him. He watched their conversation and, instead of mimicking their words like he usually would as a joke, he watched them. He didn't know why. Soon, he tore his eyes from the two and grabbed his punch from the table. The music thudded from the speakers, cranked up at high volume. Everyone was dancing to it, pumping to the beat, doing silly moves to make their friends laugh. It reminded the blue jay of his high school discos and he smiled at the memories, taking a sip of his punch. He felt he should be enjoying himself... but he didn't. He felt empty inside. Through all the decorations, food, lights, music and memories, he didn't feel...complete. Something was missing. He glanced down at his drink. No..no, it wasn't the punch. Was it the memories nagging in his mind somehow? He shook his head. Looking up, he caught Bensons eyes for a second...and Benson held that gaze. Mordecai could see the purple gumball machine still talking to him, but he didn't look away. Finally, Mordecai looked away and headed for the stairs, cup clutched in hand.

Benson shook his head and smiled politely. "Can you please excuse me Michelle? I just have to go do something"

"Oh, sure." Michelle smiled and took a sip of her drink, letting Benson go off. Benson pushed through the crowd till he spotted the blue jay sitting down on the bottom step with a sigh. Taking a deep breath, he walked over, feeling a sudden sorrow for Mordecai.

Neither said a word as the gumball machine sat down. Benson listened to the music pounding in his ears, and smiled a bit.

"Crappy music huh?"

The blue jay mumbled as he looked down at his cup, swishing the pink liquid around. Benson cleared his throat, feeling the atmosphere become suddenly awkward, though there were hundreds of people here.

The music seemed to ease the akwardness, even if it didn't do much help at all.

Benson sighed. "I've noticed you haven't been working as hard as you usually would."

He felt the blue jays body tense at the words.

"I mean, apart from today, which was a great improvement..."

"Care to tell me why?" His voice was a soft, gentle tone, different from his usual angered one. It was like he was a whole different person...when he was around Mordecai.

Mordecai relaxed, but didn't tear his eyes from the liquid. He bit his lip and sighed. "I should get it off my chest..." He began, then slowly looked up at Benson, who was looking at him with kind, understanding eyes, his mouth a gentle smile, his face...relaxed. Mordecai dropped his gaze after a few seconds, his body feeling numb. Slowly, he stood. Did the world spin? He didn't know. He felt the plastic of the cup on his feet, saw the pink drink splashed on the wooden step, felt Bensons alarmed eyes on him, and turned. He ran up the stairs and into his room. Slamming the door, he sat on his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest.

Benson watched the door then stood. He set the cup on the step then slowly walked up the steps. Did he upset Mordecai? By showing he cared?

Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened the door, just enough to see inside the room. Pushing the door fully open, he walked into the room. He shut the door behind him with a soft click, then let his gaze drift to the blue jay huddled on the bed, knees tucked up to his chest. It broke his heart.

Mordecai looked so vulnerable, so weak and small. He had let his guard down, like a child.

The atmosphere changed slightly as Benson tiptoed to Mordecai so he was next to him.

"Mordecai?"

The blue jay looked up at the sound of his name, then turned his head to Benson.

His eyes were bloodshot from crying, his feathers ruffled in panic. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Benson stepped forward and hugged Mordecai, pulling him in a comforting embrace. Mordecai pulled back after a second. He sniffed. "Sorry"

"For what?"

"For running off like that"

Benson waved a hand. "Don't worry about it."

Mordecai was silent, resting his head on his arms. He breathed out a shaking breath. "I guess I should tell you what's being going on with me"

Benson sat next to him.

He lifted his head. "Remember the day I looked like crap?"

Benson nodded, smiling a little at the blue jay.

"Well, before, I was at the coffee shop, going to ask Margaret if she wanted to go out, but..." He paused. "She was already dating someone else" He said quietly. Benson waited, thinking he had finished. Then he sighed, looking down at the floor.

"We both went to the back room and...I snapped at her, shouting, yelling. She looked terrified, as if I was a monster. But the strangest thing is...I didn't regret what I said. I almost felt...proud, somehow. After that, I had decided to give up on love entirely, fearing the people who had hurt me in the past, I would hurt the people I love in the future."

Mordecai slowly looked up at his boss. "You're probably wondering why I ran up the stairs before"

It wasn't a question. Benson nodded, confused at what the blue jay would say next.

Both their gazes locked, Mordecai slowly shifted closer to his boss. "I fell into a horrid depression for the next few days, the feeling of what I did to Margaret leaving me a crumpled mess. To let my feelings out, I got angry at everyone and...I'm sorry"

Benson smiled softly. "I forgive you Mordecai"

"When you sat down next to me on the step, I felt something twist inside me. Like something was trying to escape inside me. I didn't know what it was, but..." He shifted closer to Benson.

"When I looked at you, the real you, I..." He stopped and broke the gaze, sighing as he looked back down at the floor.

Benson reached out a hand, and lifted Mordecai's chin, so he was looking at him. Once again, their gazes locked. "You?" He whispered.

"I...fell in love" He moved closer, and kissed Benson softly, deeply. Before Benson had time to react, Mordecai gently pulled away. "I'm sorry" He looked down at the blanket.

Benson moved closer and smiled. "Don't be" Mordecai looked up, as Bensons lips captured his own. The kiss exploded with emotion, Bensons insides knotting together. Mordecai cupped Bensons cheek in his wing and deepened the kiss.

Benson felt Mordecai pull away again. He watched, disappointed, as Mordecai shook his head. "No"

Benson lowered an eyebrow. "Look, it's ok. The guys will accept our relationship and-"

"No. It's not that" Mordecai sighed. "I can't be with you"

Benson became confused. "What's wrong?"

He looked up with tears in his eyes. "If I stay with you, I'll hurt you, like I hurt Margaret"

Benson shook his head. "You're a kind, gentle, loving person Mordecai. Forget Margaret. She doesn't know you, who you really are"

Mordecai smiled as tears streamed down his cheeks. Benson smiled sadly and pulled Mordecai in a hug. Mordecai rested his head on his shoulder. "Benson?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you"

Benson closed his eyes, letting silence fill the room. Mordecai slowly pulled back, kissed Benson on the cheek, then left the room.

Benson sat in silence, still feeling Mordecai's warmth covering his body, tears on his shoulder, his presence still lingering in the air. He didn't want to leave. And...the kiss. Benson slowly lifted his hand and gently touched his lips. Mordecai had kissed him. He closed his eyes once more, the memories rushing back, a warm glow bursting inside him. The music downstairs bought him back to reality. Opening his eyes, he shook his head, then standing up, he exited the room. Walking downstairs, he saw the party goers had mostly gotten drunk and were staggering around the room, vomiting or laughing hysterically to their friends.

Benson rolled his eyes. "Ok, everyone out!" He shouted. Everyone's heads jerked up at the gumball machine. "You heard me! Out!" He carefully made his way to the bottom step, and pointed to the door. One guy walked to the door and was soon followed by many others. They all filed out the house, shouting and cheering down the road.

Benson sighed irritably. "Stupid idiots. Now I know why I fired them in the first place." He walked to the couch and sat. "Couldn't even hold down one bottle of alcohol. Morons"

Benson sunk into the couch, and sighed peacefully. It was like a dream, what had happened. With Mordecai. He closed his eyes.

He felt a hand on his, and opened his eyes. Mordecai smiled. "Hey"

"Hey." He sat up and looked at the blue jay. "You ok?" The first thing he had said when he had seen Mordecai on the day.

Mordecai laced Bensons hand in his. "Perfect" He said softly.

_**So cheesy...**_

_**Yes, the writing style did change at the beginning, with Mordecai working better and not getting mad at Rigby at all, incase you were wondering. **_

_**I know I did stuff the characters personalities up throughout basically the whole story, and I apologize so much for that. I need to work on my writing, especially when I write about Mordecai and Benson. **_

_**This will be the last 'long' story I will be writing up for the year. Yes, I will still be writing stories, but I will be posting short ones, not long stories.**_

_**Hopefully, my writing skills will have improved by then(the short stories are practices for other stories). Again, I apologize for making the characters extremely OOC, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter cause hey, I fixed it a little...**_

_**I don't know if this chapter was written well(what would happen of these two did become a couple) but I gave it my best shot. Obviously, I don't know their reactions for what would happen if...so yeah. I really hope you enjoyed this story(even if I did stuff up a lot)**_

_**Thank you so much for reading and Merry Christmas :D**_


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